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WWF Wrestling Challenge December 7th, 1986

December 7, 1986

From the Metro Centre in Rockford, IL

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action this week are Kamala, the Hart Foundation, Koko B. Ware, and the featured match of the British Bulldogs & Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Butch Reed.




We get a replay of the clip of Andre the Giant being interviewed in England over his suspension being lifted. Andre says that he is happy to be in the ring and does not tell the details of what happened but is grinning from ear-to-hear.


Pedro Morales & Tito Santana & Hillbilly Jim vs. Brian Costello & Barry O. & Iron Mike Sharpe

Tito starts off the match by taking Sharpe out of the corner with a monkey flip. He follows that with a dropkick then tags Jim, who does a cartwheel and roughs up Barry briefly. The faces use a lot of quick tags here to maintain control until Morales gets caught in the opposite corner. Costello tags but he is no match for Morales then Tito tags and hits a backdrop before tagging Jim, who gets the win via submission with the bearhug (2:24). Jim does the do-si-do after the match.

Thoughts: Really just an excuse to use the guys on the winning side, who were just floundering at this point.


Another replay of Honkytonk Man saying how he is going to be mean and nasty to the fans as they deserve it for how they treated him. He then says that he has a surprise for us next week. That surprise was the reveal of Jimmy Hart as his manager that took place on Superstars the previous day.


Jack Foley vs. Kamala w/ The Wizard & Kimchee

Mick is on job duty again tonight. Kamala chops Foley down then hits a slam. Kamala hits a splash then climbs up top for another splash that gets the win (0:39). Gorilla called Foley "Kurt Koffman" in this match. Koffman was another TV jobber used at this time.

Thoughts: Lots of Kamala squashes on WWF TV in 1986. This one was no different.


Ken Resnick is with Bobby Heenan and asks him how much he spent to buy the contract of Hercules. Heenan says that he will not reveal that as he insults the fans then brings out Hercules, who says that Heenan gives him the best trainers and food as Heenan puts over Hercules.


As Foley is getting carried off in a stretcher, Gene Okerlund is interviewing Bonnie Steamboat from her home. She says that she is preparing for the fact that her husband might not be able to wrestle again. Acting wasn't Bonnie's strong suit.


Mario Mancini & Max Blue vs. Don Muraco & "Cowboy" Bob Orton w/ Mr. Fuji & Jimmy Hart

Before the match we are shown an insert promo of Hart & Fuji referring to themselves as a "one, two punch." In the ring, Muraco hits Blue with a powerslam then tags Orton who hits a suplex and an elbow drop. Orton then tags Muraco, who gets the win with a tombstone piledriver (1:39).

Thoughts: With Adonis back, Muraco & Orton were basically after thoughts but they still came out to Piper's music while wearing kilts so on TV, they are still involved in that feud.


Resnick is with Billy Jack Haynes and asks him about coming up short against Randy Savage twice due to the bias officiating of Danny Davis. Haynes cannot understand why Davis is doing this and upset over what Savage did to Steamboat. You can tell Haynes is insane just by the way he looks into the camera.


Another vignette from Blackjack Mulligan. More of the same from him, really.


Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Bob Boyer & Salvatore Bellomo

Bellomo bounces off of Neidhart then tags out as we get an insert promo from the British Bulldogs about their "secret weapon" Matilda. Boyer is in now and the Hart's double team him until they put him away with the Hart Attack (1:21).

Thoughts: The Hart's are clearly the #1 contender's for the Bulldogs Tag Team titles as their series of matches will begin shortly on the house show circuit.


The Snake Pit with guests Adrian Adonis and Jimmy Hart. Roberts first shows us a clip of Adonis attacking Piper on the set of "Piper's Pit" then brings out his guests. A "faggot" chant breaks out as Adonis goes off on Piper for being jealous of him due to the success of the "Flower Shop" then for the first time calls his sleeper the "Good Night Irene." Not a whole lot happened here.


Rick Renslow vs. Koko B. Ware

Koko hits a hiptoss but gets caught in the corner after that. Koko comes back with a dropkick then hits a missile dropkick before hitting the ghostbuster for the win (1:55).

Thoughts: Another win for Koko who was getting a decent midcard push at this time. He was over too.


Okerlund interviews Danny Davis about his involvement in the Ricky Steamboat/Randy Savage match from "Superstars of Wrestling" and why he took Dave Hebner's place in the match, Davis said that he felt it was the right thing to do as Okerlund tries to make him feel guilty for being involved in what could be the end of Steamboat's career. Davis says that those are the breaks and did not feel bad at all. Not only is Davis an evil referee but he is also a dick.


Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik & "The Natural" Butch Reed w/ Slick vs. Billy Jack Haynes & British Bulldogs

Matilda scares Slick away to continue that angle. Davey blocks a hiptoss from the Sheik then catches his foot before hitting a suplex. Dynamite tags and gets hit by Volkoff in a miscommunication spot. Dynamite comes back with a sunset flip for two then Reed and Haynes tag in as the crowd goes nuts. They have a little sequence that ends in a stalemate. Reed then hits a suplex then Davey and Nikolai go at it briefly. The match gets a bit clunky then it breaks down and Slick hits Haynes with his cane behind the ref's back and Reed covers for the win (3:31).

Thoughts: Looks like they are setting up for a feud between Haynes and Reed based off of the finish. The crowd reacted favorably to them when they were in the ring together.


Next week in action will be Randy Savage, King Harley Race, U.S. Express, "The Natural" Butch Reed, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.


Final Thoughts: Challenge has clearly been the "B" show the past few weeks has one-third of the show is highlights that took place from "Superstars of Wrestling." And if you have watched Superstars recently then there was no real reason to see this other than the main event.



Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Raven, Volume 1
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/13/86
Saturday: RoH Frontiers of Honor 5/17/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/14/86
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/20/86

Comments

  1. Not surprising that Tenta and Jarrett had a good match. Those guys knew how to work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's pointles to watch an NBA Basketball game until the fourth quarter.

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  3. WELL......there ARE the PPVs.....

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  4. How much are obscure cable channels paying these days?

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  5. Nobody would be a breath of fresh air so long as announcers are merely meat puppets for Vince McMahon.

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  6. Hard to argue with this, but as a hardcore college football fan, I'll take it.

    Also Marshall

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  7. Or all those guys with a career ERA of infinity.

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  8. Austin, Rock, Orton, Batista, Bryan.

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  9. He told a story on the Ross podcast about having an interview with the company he is at today the day they fired all the WCW employees.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mitch, The GodfatherNovember 11, 2014 at 9:11 PM

    That opponent is me and I'm coming for you.

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  11. Steve Clifford is a pretty solid young coach, but Lance is just crazy.

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  12. I usually get too distracted by her hair (in a bad way). She sometimes makes some weird faces that annoy me. It's nothing specific, but the whole package rarely comes together enough for me to call her "attractive."

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  13. How, exactly? Legitimately curious.

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  14. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighNovember 11, 2014 at 9:23 PM

    What show was that? Night of champions?

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  15. Gotta make a football stadium twice that size.

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  16. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighNovember 11, 2014 at 9:28 PM

    He debuted short tights on raw.

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  17. I have never heard the story about her suing the NHL Network, lol, but I don't doubt it.

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  18. Hollywood Dave was glorious. Dollar sign, dollar sign, DOLLAR SIGN, DOLLAR SIGN...kissing babies and hugging fat girls...wonderful.

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  19. It's the state bird, man! lol

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  20. Name the football team after the basketball team
    with a 1-88367 record?

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  21. I was at the ACC for the Leafs--Sabers game where Buffulo only got 10 shots.

    The Leafs are not An elite team. I watch them, so I'm well aware of it--and Buffulo only managed 10 shots! It's inconceivable how bad they are.

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  22. Huzzah! I return from three full weeks writing about games part time for a community of teenagers obsessed with Pokemon, Nintendo, and Adventure time!

    So, I have a question, and it's a random one, and tell me to shut up if you want. This isn't me trying to sell you anything, it's just me asking because I think I think it's a good idea, but I could be wrong, and I figure unless the idea if perfect, you'll tell me it sucks, and I'll know.

    The company I work for makes hyper-specific apps for hyper specific interests. So there's a Sherlock forum app, a Dr. Who Forum App, etc etc, what it does it let you post blogs, add favorites, link to videos, follow writers you like, and interact via comments, not unlike this blog.

    There is NO wrestling app at the moment. My question to you, is this:

    if there was a wrestling specific app, that would allow folks like Scott and other wrestlers to post their stuff, and then have it automatically alert you, and let you read it, in-app, is that stupid, or kind of helpful? I envision something where folks hop on and can 'subscribe' to Andy PG's rants, Scott's Scott Sez, and various other wrestling writers, podcasts, youtube shows, and so on.

    The advantage of this over say, just browsing easily to every site you want to visit, is that it's all self contained. boot it up, and boom, thousands of wrestling fans all in one place, Live PPV hang outs, Live Raw Hangouts, "Lets watch this PPV on the Network" hangouts that can be created by pretty much anyone.

    I think it's kind of cool, and I want to pitch it, but if it's dumb I won't. If you wanna give me...5 minutes of genuine sincerity for the 45 seconds of enjoyment you get every day telling me to shut up, that'd be cool. If not, that's cool too!

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  23. Shut up Meekin won't cover it here

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  24. Meekin, shut the fuck up

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  25. Adam "Colorado" CurryNovember 11, 2014 at 10:41 PM

    I can't tell if it's the players or coaches. Probably both.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'll bite: If I weren't such a stickler for keeping my phone free of apps, I'd probably be interested.

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  27. Meekin, how many false hopes did they fill your giant head with at Columbia.

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  28. You know what?

    I'm willing to give Ted Nolan the benefit of a doubt.

    NO ONE could coach that team to win.

    ReplyDelete
  29. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©November 11, 2014 at 11:36 PM

    Same, the app sounds like a neat idea.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anyone see Sons of anarchy tonight? If so can I just say...


    Spoiler




















    Marxs head of security is a fucking retard. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen someone who was supposed to be smart do on a TV show.

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  31. Tampa Bay is a marketing ploy to bridge the gap of Hillsborough and Pinellas county since the belief is that one county couldn't support a pro franchise but together the two could. The Bucs and the Lightning are in Tampa (Hillsborough) and the Rays are located in St. Petersburg (Pinellas) until they move to Montreal.

    Naturally, like most bridging of the gap, this ploy doesn't work over time as most Pinellas residents (self included) hate Tampa and Hillsborough County because we think Tampa is a shit hole and most Hillsborough residents hate Pinellas because they think most of the county (Largo, Seminole, Pinellas Park, Clearwater) is a shithole with nice beaches.


    Generally Pinellas will support the teams in Hillsborough and Hillsborough hates supporting the Rays because they are in Pinellas. Needless to say this has forced the Rays to check out Hillsborough options for a stadium but it won't happen because Hillsborough taxpayers are fucking idiots and are already on the hook for the football stadium and the hockey arena at almost full cost because they got swindled by the owners. Naturally they are not excited to add another "community-owned" stadium on their tax bill.

    So that's Tampa Bay in a nutshell.

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  32. No you don't. Just double the ticket price.

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  33. The real story is just whatever the last guy said. The next documentary/shoot will have the real story too, until it's contradicted by the next one

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  34. But then it went further and she explained
    that it was ALL fake, right? David had married Becky, Jackie was really the
    lesbian, and so on. So the whole show had been a dream sequence, but then the
    post-Dan death stuff was a dream sequence within the dream sequence? I must be
    remembering this wrong, because it doesn’t make a lick of sense.

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  35. He's the one who has flashes of reasonableness, and occasionally bucks the party line, then ruins it all by doing something typically Foxish like calling Robin Williams a coward the morning he was found dead.

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  36. Curtis Williams couldn't have been too happy about that.

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  37. Agreed, but we did get a few months of a pretty good storyline out of it before the lame end. The Daniel Bryan/Michael Cole/Miz stuff, both before and after his firing, was great stuff. Cena/Batista was terrific. Punk and the SES was great for at least the first half of the year. I loved Orton's face turn, it wasn't until 2011 before I was tired of that.
    I don't remember if the PPV quality was consistently good, aside from the Rumble and WM26 both being really good. I do remember that 2010 had a lot of stuff I liked, at least.

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  38. I am enjoying this. I only watched Nitro back in the day so I missed this stuff.

    ReplyDelete

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